First Division promotion rivals Bradford and Ipswich cancelled each other out
in a tense contest at Valley Parade.
Ipswich, with the best defensive away record in the division, will take
satisfaction from preventing the free-scoring Bantams attack from adding to
their tally of 36 goals in home games.
But it was only the width of the crossbar that prevented Bradford striker
Robbie Blake from snatching a winner seven minutes from the end.
Winger Peter Beagrie played the ball into the path of Blake and with the
Ipswich defence appealing for offside, the Bradford striker saw his shot beat
England under-21 goalkeeper Richard Wright only to rebound off the bar.
Then, in the two minutes added on for stoppages, striker David Johnson almost
snatched victory for Ipswich. He beat defender Darren Moore only to see City
keeper Gary Walsh block his point-blank shot.
But overall it was a game of few chances. Bradford's best first-half effort
came in the fourth minute when Wright blocked skipper Stuart McCall's shot to
concede the corner.
Ipswich's best effort in the first period came when Walsh had to race off his
line to block a shot from right-back Fabian Wilnis.
The visitors dominated large periods of the second half with their elegant
passing game, but Bradford stepped up the pace in the closing stages and almost
scored in the 72nd minute when leading scorer Lee Mills saw his fierce shot
striker defender.
There were chances for both sides in the closing stages but a draw was a fair
result, with both sides staying in the top four.
City slip into third place after Bolton beat West Brom but Town are still in
the promotion picture as they are fourth.
Teams:
Bradford: Walsh, Wright, Moore, Westwood, Jacobs, Lawrence,
McCall, Whalley, Beagrie, Blake (Rankin 88), Mills.
Subs Not Used: O'Brien, Ramage.
Ipswich: Wright, Wilnis, Tanner, Mowbray, Venus, Clapham, Dyer,
Magilton, Holland, Harewood (Naylor 62), Johnson.
Subs Not Used: Stockwell, Petta.
Booked: Wilnis, Magilton, Johnson.
Att: 15,024
Ref: G Frankland (Middlesbrough).
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